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Can a portable power station run a fridge overnight?

Yes, usually on 1,000Wh or more — but the compressor surge, not the watt-hours, is what catches people out.

The two numbers that decide it

Continuous rating: must exceed the fridge's running draw, typically 100-250W for a modern full-size unit. Surge rating: must exceed the compressor's startup spike, typically 2-3× running draw for a second or so. A 150W fridge can pull 450W on start, and a unit rated 300W continuous with 600W surge will cope where a 300W/300W unit will not.

Check the fridge's own label — it gives amps at 120V. Amps × 120 = watts. If it says 1.5A, that is 180W running, and you should plan for 400-550W of surge capacity.

How long it will actually run

Station capacity	Realistic fridge runtime (150-200W running, 40% duty)
500Wh	6-9 hours
1,000Wh	13-18 hours
1,500Wh	20-28 hours
2,000Wh	28-38 hours

These assume a fridge that is already cold, kept closed, in a room that is not hot. Opening it repeatedly in a summer kitchen can cut the figure by a third.

Five ways to make a small unit cope

Pre-cool. Get the fridge to temperature on mains power before the outage, and freeze water bottles to act as thermal mass.
Keep it shut. Decide what you need in one visit rather than browsing.
Turn the thermostat down (colder) before the outage; it buys hours.
Run the station from solar during the day so its capacity is available at night.
Do not run the fridge and a heater at once. Sequencing loads is free capacity.

What a power station is bad at

Fridges are fine. Anything with a big compressor or heating element is not: air conditioners, space heaters, kettles, microwaves and well pumps will drain a 1,000Wh unit in under an hour, and most cannot supply the surge at all. If those are on your list, you are shopping for a generator or a home battery, not a portable station.